Mask depicting Wren
by Tom Patterson, Nuu-Chah-Nulth
red cedar, cedar bark, pigment
32” high x 14” wide x 8.5” deep
The Wren is one of 40 supernatural creatures who appear during the Atlakima or Dance of the Forest Spirits. A Winter Ceremony dance, it tells the story of a boy who runs away from his cruel father to the forest. There, he meets a supernatural grouse who takes him to another realm where he meets the Forest Spirits. The boy returns to his village and shares the stories and dances of the Forest Spirits with his people.
Tom Patterson was born in 1962 in Victoria, British Columbia. Patterson is a member of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Nation of Vancouver Island. Patterson began carving at the age of fifteen with the Arts of the Raven workshop program. In 1977, he started his apprenticeship with Kwakwaka’wakw Nation carver Tony Hunt Sr.
During his apprenticeship with Hunt, he helped with the construction of the big house at the Field Museum in Chicago. He has also been influenced by the works of Tim Paul, Don Yeomans, and Art Thompson.
Patterson’s art has been and will be an ongoing process, learning from elders and artists. An important part of his personal and artistic development has been gaining an understanding of the rich culture and history of his people. He was the exhibition carver on site at 'The Down from the Shimmering Skies' exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1998. Tom's work is bold and is often guided by traditional Nuu-chah-nulth aesthetics. He also enjoys working on a large scale.
